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Kelorian Religion
The '''Kelorian Religion '''was a set of beliefs held in the ancient Kelorian Empire. The Religion centered around a pantheon of seven gods. They believed that in anceint times, the gods interacted directly with humanity, and especially the Kelorians, who were a chosen people. But conflict in the pantheon caused the gods to become reclusive, and lead humanity away from their faith. Only recently was their existence once again revealed. The Kelorians believed that a day would come when the gods would once again rule Ersos directly, with Keloria in a position of power and privelage. History Prior to the Kelorian Conquest, the Kelorians shared a philosophical tradition with much of Thossos. Folk beliefs were widespread among the early tribes, many stemming from a more ancient tradition thought to have originated in Tasquín. Common elements included belief in nature spirits, such as the moon and sun, as well as ancestor veneration. For the most part, East Thossos at this time was religiously homogonous. Around 8100 PC, just after the War for the River, Keloria experienced a cultural upheaval. In a startlingly short span of time, the folk tradition was replaced with a strictly heirarchical, seven god pantheon. Gone was any notion of ancestor worship. The new religion carried with it a sprawling new social class or preists and officials. Subsequent kings were highly theocratic. It is unknown why this sudden shift in culture happened, but it was permanent. Within a hundred years, the Kelorian Religion as it is now known had been established. Some scholars speculate that it was this new religion that was the main impetus for the Conquest. They argue that Keloria was fundamentally changed to be more radical and expansionist by their beliefs, citing a doctrine in their canon that implied Kelorians to be masters of the known world. Whether or not this is true is still debated. Beliefs The Kelorian Religion consists of a loose set of fables that tell the history of the gods and of the Kelorian people. The pantheon has a rather complex nature both within itself and in relation to the Kelorians, especially in writing. The religion states that in the time before man, there was one god, Oyasaka. He was the father of Ersos and of the other gods. The following six gods did not have names as we think of them; each was synonymous with a form: a cirlce, a two-sided polygon, a triangle, a square, a pentagon, and a hexagon. In the Kelorian language, the name of the shape and the god was identical. In modern times, each god is referred to by thier order in the pantheon, eg. The First, The Second, etc. Each god had distinct iconography, based around complex geometric art stemming from his namesake. It should be noted that the two gods whose polygonal names could not form polyhedrons, The Second and The Sixth, were considered evil by Kelorians. The exact relationship of Kelorian religion and mathematics is still under discussion. In Kelorian mythology, Ersos was created by Oyasaka. It was a watery world, an enormous sacred ocean. After the creation of the other gods, The First rolled back the water to reveal Thossos, the center of the world. Because of this, he is considered the god of the Sea. Each god had a hand in creating the world. The Fourth, god of family and nature, created mankind and the animals. The Second, god of war, gave Kelorians the power to triumph over their enemies. The Third, god of justice, gave the Kelorians civilization. The Fifth, god of wisdom, gave the Kelorian kings knowledge to rule over their kingdoms and create great artistic works. Lastly, the Sixth, god of misfortune, was jealous that the others had created such beauty. He conspired to ruin thier creations, and ended up corrupting humans, and leading to suffering and misery in the world. For this reason, he was an outcast in the pantheon. Some time later, a war occured in the pantheon. It is said that a Kelorian warrior, Kasana, slew The Second because he betrayed the Kelorians in battle. This sparked a cosmic civil war, in which the gods were divided in their support of humanity. It was during this conflict that The Sixth poisoned Oyasaka. For this, he was expelled from the pantheon, and cursed to live forever as a wretch in Ersos. Afterwards, the remaining gods, The First, The Third, The Fourth, and The Fifth, punished humans for their hubris by forcing them to worship false gods, and forget the age of pantheonic rule. And so it came to be that early Keloria was a weak tribe with folk religious beliefs. It is said that the reason there cannot be a two-sided polygon is because of The Second's death. It was only recently that the gods made themselves known again. And with this perceived cultural revival came the blossoming of the Kelorian state. Also during this time, it is said that the gods granted mankind the knowledge to produce steel. The Fifth, god of wisdom, is said to have taken pity on Keloria's subjugation at the hands of the Amarya. He came into Ersos and taught Skal, the royal smith, how to create steel from iron. Skal has evolved to become one of Keloria's greatest heros. Fables Here is a small collection of the most famous Kelorian stories. Kasana and the Second Kasana was a warrior of great renown in the time before the Settlement. Keloria's old enemy, the Zamraré, were waging a war of conquest in Tasquín. Keloria, faced with invasion, chose to confront the Zamraré force at the pass of Terassus. Kasana, a great warrior, was chosen to lead the battle. Before the battle, he prayed to The Second, to gain favor. He was answered, and confidently went to face the Zamraré. The battle ended disastrously. Keloria was horribly defeated, and the Zamraré stormed into ancient Keloria, burning and pillaging. Outraged, Kasana journeyed to the northern sacred mountain, where he called on The Second. When he appeared to Kasana, he thrust his sword into The Second's leg, knocking him to the ground. He then pushed his sword down into The Second's chest, killing him. Immediatly, the skies darkened and the earth shook. For this, the humans of Tasquin were cursed. Skal and The Fifth Skal was the royal iron smith in Kelor. One day he was approached by a stranger, clad in black robes. The stranger informed Skal that he was a traveler, who had heard to Skal's skill as a smith. He had journeyed from the north to teach him a great secret. A magic metal, greater than iron. Skal doubted, but allowed the stranger to work under him. The stranger labored for weeks, and finally presented Skal a sword of unearthly precision and strength. He was amazed; he demanded that the stranger teach him how to create such a weapon. The stranger threw off his black cloak, revealing a shining heavenly robe. Skal fell to his knees, for the Fifth was too bright to look at. He was suddenly filled with understanding of the gods that had been stripped from the Kelorians thousands of years ago. He vowed to carry on the gift that he had been given, and to use the Fifth's sword in retribution against those who would subjugate the gods' chosen people. Satisfied that Skal would keep his word, the Fifth returned to where he had come from. True to his word, it states in legend the Kelorian king Pereska used the Fifth's sword to personally kill the Amaryan king during the Conquest. Relation to Mathematics Kelorian mathematics were closely related to their Religion. Mathematicians were employed by the theocracy, and any new discovery in number theory was treated as a divine revelation. It was treated as a matter of fact that the non-possibility of a two-sided polygon was a direct result of the death of the Second. Architecture The religion's close association with mathematics led to a very interesting architectural tradition in Keloria. The Kelorians left behind very little, but many of their buildings still stand today. Kelorian temples are overwhelmingly geometric, and to an exacting precision. In fact, it appears that the builders eschewed surface decoration in favor of precision. Many Kelorian structures are featureless, but almost glasslike in their brickwork and polishing. Each god who can be represented as a polyhedron (the First, the Third, the Fourth, and the Fifth) had many sculptures made of them over the millennia. They range from small household tokens to massive, massive structures that served as the focal points of cities. The former Kelorian capital of Kye has one of each god perched atop its four hills. Likewise, the temples of the Kelorians are very geometric, with numerous intersecting forms. Only in text, it seems, was complex and detailed art used. Category:Beliefs